Inclusion Standards Guide

A document to help organisations make decisions about meeting disabled people’s access requirements during events

Simone Aspis

The Alliance for Inclusive Education wants to thank the following people and organisations for helping us develop this guide:

Alliance for Inclusive Education - Kevin Caulfield, Tara Flood and Chloe Bowles

Inclusion London - Tes McManus and the board

People First - Andrew Lee, Debra Schiman, Stephen Aselford and Anne Westlake

Disability LIB - Stephen Lee Hodgkins

Disability LIB Partners:

Alliance for Inclusive Education (ALLFIE)

UK Disabled People’s Council (UKDCP)

Equalities National Council (ENC)

National People First

Disability Equality North West

SCOPE

Produced by the Alliance for Inclusive Education for the Disability LIB project, March 2011

Funded by the Big Lottery Fund

Introduction

An inclusive event is where all disabled participants are freely and openly able to participate on their own terms with whatever assistance is required, without experiencing disadvantage or indignity. Everyone should experience equality of access when participating in an event hosted by a disabled people's organisation (DPO). We know that DPOs try their best to meet disabled people's access requirements in their work. But sometimes DPOs may find it really hard to be inclusive of everyone because of deadlines and insufficient resources.

What is the aim of the Inclusion Standards?

All DPOs are required to comply with the 2010 Equality Act, in relation to treating disabled people equally and fairly when making decisions if and how their access requirements will be met.

It is therefore important for DPOs to demonstrate that they have made decisions in a fair manner when devising their inclusive event policy. The policy should include what they consider is reasonable to arrange and what they are willing to pay for when it comes to meeting disabled people's access requirements.

Making Good Use of What We Have Already Got

Organisations could be thinking who can help (staff, members and trustees) and what you have (e.g. equipment, skills, transport) in your organisation to help with meeting disabled people's access requirements. This will help to take the pressure of the organisation to find funding to meet all of disabled people's access requirements.

You may have some of these resources. Paid staff, volunteers and members may be able to help where appropriate. Consider what the organisation has in terms of equipment, stationery, membership lists, free meeting space and so on.

Some examples:

Providing an event's information in easy words/plain English does not always mean having to find the money to pay for someone else to do the job. Some examples maybe:

  • If you have a user engagement / membership participation worker, then it could be part of his/her job to make the event information accessible for all.
  • If you employ a British Sign Language (BSL) user to do development work with the deaf community, it may be possible for them to provide BSL interpretation at an event.
  • If there is a volunteer programme, why not ask volunteers if they could work as general personal assistants during the event?
  • If your organisation staff/members are travelling to an event, why not ask a disabled member who has transport to take additional people along.

This guide will help DPOs to make decisions on how best to meet disabled people's access requirements. This document does not provide universal answers, but instead provides a list of suggested questions so you can reach the position that is right for your organisation.

How to Use the Inclusion Standards

We have included checklists which may help you make decisions on how and when you will pay for disabled people's access requirements. Whilst there is a suggested order, please feel free to change the checklists around if this would assist your organisation's needs.

Checklist Number 1: The Priority Group of Disabled Participants

This checklist asks you to consider what type of event you are going to run and who the priority group of participants will be.

Checklist Number 2: Event Participants’ Access Information Requirements

This checklist asks you to consider the variety of accessible information formats you may be required to produce for your event participants. Once you know who you want to attend the event, this checklist asks you to consider what resources the organisation may have to provide the event's information in accessible formats.

Checklist Number 3: Activity Planning During Events

When planning an event agenda, consider the different participation methods which will help disabled people's to take part. It would be unusual for one method to be accessible for all disabled participants.

Checklist Number 4: Finding an Accessible Event Venue

Once you know participant numbers and activities then thinking about the kind of venue you need and what assistance should be available is the next stage. If you are deciding to hold different types of workshops then a venue with small rooms may be better than one big room with workshops happening in each corner.

Checklist Number 5: Catering Arrangements and Dietary Requirements

Once you know which venue you are going to use, the next stage might be to consider catering arrangements, as they may be part of the hire package or need to be arranged by an independent catering company. You may need to consider menu choice, food being prepared to meet specific dietary requirements and the cost.

Checklist Number 6: Event Participants' Travel Expenses

Travel arrangements and venue planning go hand in hand. How easy is it to travel to the venue using accessible public transport and who the participants will be will have an impact on your travel budget.

Checklist Number 7: Event Participants' Personal Support Requirements

and Checklist Number 8: Event Participants' Communication Requirements

To participate in events, some disabled participants require personal and communication assistance. This is the opportunity to consider who is responsible for arranging personal assistance and whether individuals may or may not be reasonably provided by a social services or access to work support package.

Checklist Number 9: Meeting disabled people's access requirements

Even when all disabled people's access requirements can be met, there may still be challenges for the event organisers. Some of these challenges may not be about funding of access requirements but are to do with how meeting some disabled people's access requirements will impact on others' participation, such as the timing and length of an event.

These are sample checklists which you are welcome to change - or you could create new ones to help you come to thoughtful and well reasoned decisions on how your organisation will meet disabled people's access requirements and fulfil its Equality Act duties.

This Inclusion Standards toolkit could be adapted to include additional areas you may want to explore further, such as membership or trustee elections or provision of overnight stays. Whilst this toolkit is for events, there is no reason why you cannot adapt it to inform your Inclusion Standards Policy to include different activities such as committee meetings, social events or having accessible elections and so on.

If you want to know more about making events accessible for disabled people:

Organising Accessible Events - Central Beds Access Group:

How to make events accessible - Social Care Institute for Excellence 2005:

Toolkit: How to ensure your event is accessible - Green Space Community:

Checklist Number 1: The Priority Group of Disabled Participants

Organisations will run different types of events in terms of their formats, such as conferences, open days, workshops, consultations and discussion groups covering a variety of issues. After considering what type of event you are running and what issues will be covered, these questions will enable you to think about prioritising which groups of participants' access requirements should be met. The priority groups of participants will change depending on the aim of the event.

Some examples of things you may consider:

  • What is the aim of the event?
  • Who are the priority group of participants that you want to attend?
  • Why have you prioritised this group of disabled people over others?

Think about:

  • Access Requirements
  • Priority Groups
  • Alternative Participation

Who are you inviting to the event?

  • Do you have the resources to meet all participants' requirements?
  • If no, what are the alternative solutions?
  • If no solution is found, what is your explanation for a participant who asks why the decision has been made?
  • What advice will you offer the participant if it looks like their access requirements will not be met?

Checklist Number 2: Event Participants' Access Information Requirements

These questions will enable you to think about prioritising which information accessibility requests can be met.

Some examples of things you may consider:

  • Time involved in producing information in easy-to-read formats and whether staff are able to do this as part of their service to members.
  • Whether staff has sufficient levels of BSL to interpret accurately.
  • Whether easy to read information is provided to everyone.
  • Whether staff have the expertise to do this and if not whether partnership working needs to take place with People First / Speaking Up Groups.
  • Whether you have the skills to produce a video of sufficient quality.
  • Whether the staff's interpretation skills are of a sufficient standard to communicate effectively with deaf people.

There will be other things you may need to think about to ensure everyone can access the information before, during and after your event.

Think About:

  • All participants’ information requirements
  • Easy read with or without pictures
  • Variety of print sizes tailored to person’s requirements
  • Different coloured paper
  • Text only
  • Braille
  • Disk / CD
  • BSL interpreted / video if needed

Information Accessibility

  • Do you have the resources to meet all participants' requirements?
  • If no, what are the alternative solutions?
  • If no solution is found, what is your explanation for a participant who asks why the decision has been made?
  • What advice will you offer the participant if it looks like their access requirements will not be met?

Checklist Number 3: Activity planning during events

When setting an event's agenda this is the opportunity to consider the different ways disabled participants like to be involved in an event. These questions enable you to think about offering different methods of participation for disabled people during your event.

Here are some examples of things you may consider when deciding what types of activity you are planning to use to encourage participants involvement:

  • Interactive drama
  • Arts based (video, pictures, drawing, graffiti walls, scribing)
  • Music based
  • Post boxes

Not everyone can or wants to engage in a timed discussion workshop so consider other activities which allow participants to spend different amounts of time sharing thinking and ideas with others. Have you considered how participants can take part without attending the event?

Think About:

  • Speeches
  • Discussions
  • Drama
  • Music
  • Arts
  • Limited or unlimited amount of time for these activities
  • Other kinds of activities
  • Non attendees - how can they be involved? (e.g. webcam, twitter)

Participation Activities

  • Do you have the resources to meet all participants' requirements?
  • If no, what are the alternative solutions?
  • If no solution is found, what is your explanation for a participant who asks why the decision has been made?
  • What advice will you offer the participant if it looks like their access requirements will not be met?

Checklist Number 4: Finding an Accessible Event Venue

We all know how hard it is to find an affordable venue which is fully accessible for all disabled participants attending an event. These questions will assist you to find an accessible venue whilst keeping within an agreed budget.

Some example of things you may consider:

  • What are the basic things that a venue must have (e.g. rooms, toilets, eating and rest areas)?
  • Does every room have to be fully accessible for all disabled participants (e.g. a hearing loop in every room)?
  • Ownership of the venue (e.g. a day centre, community centre)?
  • Location of the venue (safety, public transport links)?

There will be other things you may need to think about to ensure everyone can access the event venue.

Think About:

  • All rooms used must be 100% accessible?
  • Some rooms will not be 100% accessible?
  • Physical access such as lifts, ramps and all facilities on the same level
  • Visual access such as colour contrasts, ease of finding the facilities
  • Hearing access i.e. loop system, good lighting for BSL, acoustics
  • Information availability such as large print signage, pictures, signs
  • Transport and safety issues around the venue
  • Assistance provided by venue (such as receptionist)

Venue Accessibility

  • Do you have the resources to meet all participants' requirements?
  • If no, what are the alternative solutions?
  • If no solution is found, what is your explanation for a participant who asks why the decision has been made?
  • What advice will you offer the participant if it looks like their access requirements will not be met?

Checklist Number 5: Catering Arrangements and Dietary Requirements

Everyone likes to be fed well whilst attending an event so we think good food leads to good discussion! Most organisations will ask participants if they require the following diets:

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
  • Wheat or dairy free

You may also consider asking participants if:

  • They have specific dietary requirements
  • Food must be prepared in a particular way because of religious practice
  • Meal times must take place at a prescribed time (e.g. health condition related)

There will be other things you may need to think about to ensure everyone's dietary requirements are met.

Think About:

  • All participants’ requirements
  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
  • Wheat free
  • Dairy free
  • Religious practice requirements
  • Individualised specified meals

Dietary Requirements

  • Do you have the resources to meet all participants' requirements?
  • If no, what are the alternative solutions?
  • If no solution is found, what is your explanation for a participant who asks why the decision has been made?
  • What advice will you offer the participant if it looks like their dietary requirements will not be met?

Checklist Number 6: Event Participants' Travel Expenses

The following questions will assist you to think about prioritising which groups of participants' travel expenses will be met. You may need to consider where and when you will pay for taxis instead of public transport.

Some examples of things you may need to consider:

  • Whether it's reasonable for all disabled people to claim for taxis.
  • Whether some disabled people can use or do use public transport and therefore it's usage should be expected when attending events.
  • Whether disabled people can travel together to and return from an event.
  • What the expectations for the disabled person to pay for their own travel to the event are.
  • Whether it's reasonable to arrange or provide travel training.
  • Service providers such as group homes arranging travel.
  • Can staff help with travel?

There will be other things you may need to think about to ensure everyone can travel comfortably and safely to your event.

Think About:

  • All participants' travel expenses paid, regardless which mode of transport used?
  • Restrict to off-peak travel?
  • Restrict to concessionary rates?
  • Participants who use travel because public transport is not accessible / not practical
  • Participants using public transport

Type of Travel Expenses

  • Do you have the resources to meet all participants' requirements?
  • If no, what are the alternative solutions?
  • If no solution is found, what is your explanation for a participant who asks why the decision has been made?
  • What advice will you offer the participant if it looks like their access requirements will not be met?

Checklist Number 7: Event Participants' Personal Support Requirements

Some examples of things you may need to consider:

  • Consider the roles which participants are playing in the event. Is it reasonable to expect that Access to Work or organisations these disabled people represent can meet their access requirements?
  • Are they likely to have their access requirements met by other funding (Access to Work)?
  • Availability of home / day care staff to provide assistance.
  • What are the expectations for you to arrange participants' access requirements?
  • Whether general support can be provided by the event organiser or disabled individual's PAs may help out every now and again. For example can a general or a disabled individual's PA maybe fetch a cup of tea for you during an event?

There will be other things you may think about when considering personal support requirements.

Think About:

  • All participants
  • Paid organisation representatives
  • Unpaidorganisation representatives
  • Disabled individuals without funded support package
  • Disabled individuals with a full support package
  • Disabled individuals with part-funded support package

Types of Participants

  • Do you have the resources to meet all participants' requirements?
  • If no, what are the alternative solutions?
  • If no solution is found, what is your explanation for a participant who asks why the decision has been made?
  • What advice will you offer the participant if it looks like their dietary requirements will not be met?

Checklist Number 8: Event Participants' Communication Requirements

Ensuring every participant's communication requirements are met is really important for a successful event. Communication may include the use of British Sign Interpretation and Lip Speakers for Deaf people. It may mean providing or paying for a Personal Assistant to interpret a person's communication style, which may be unfamiliar to other participants.